Agricultural News
American Farm Bureau Urges Senate to Adopt the Pat Roberts GMO Labeling Bill
Wed, 16 Mar 2016 06:22:48 CDT
The American Farm Bureau has endorsed the latest proposal from Kansas Senator and Senate Ag Committee Chairman Pat Roberts that would preempt state mandatory labeling of food products of what, if any GMO ingredients might be included in that product.
In a letter to all US Senators, AFBF President Zippy Duvall says the Roberts Proposal needs to be approved- "A vote against this measure is a vote against consumers, against American farmers and ranchers, and against more affordable, productive agriculture. Nearly 800 organizations from all 50 states that represent the entire American food supply chain support this measure. Failure to act will increase food costs for the average consumer. Inaction will stifle f uture agricultural innovation. The issue of biotech labeling is the most significant issue that the agricu lture and food industry has faced in years. The GMO labeling ballot initiatives and legislative efforts that many state lawmakers and voters are facing are geared to make people wrongly fear what they're eating and feeding their children. They ignore science and undermine the public's understanding of the many benefits of biotechnology in feeding a growing population and keeping costs down."
Duvall adds that "The food industry has made a good faith effort to come to a compromise that will provide more information to consumers in a way that doesn't stigmatize a perfectly safe and useful practice."
The Frm Bureau letter is reaching Senators as they prepare for a cloture vote on the Roberts proposal, which you can read in full here. Reports on Capitol Hill sugges that Roberts is still searching for sixty votes to invoke cloture later today and move the bill forward.
You can read the Farm Bureau letter by clicking on the PDF link below.
00337_AFBF-biotech-Senate-support-Letter-03152016.pdf
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